Friday, April 10, 2020
Then Came Easter
He sat quietly thinking… disconcerted. Being a man of action, he was comfortable with bold emotions like anger or heroic action, but today he was non-plussed, thinking:
“Maybe there was too much water under the bridge and my life is over.”
“Maybe I put all my eggs in the wrong basket.”
“Maybe the pundits, academics and politicians had been right, even though they had not experienced hundreds of miraculous events in the past three years like I have.”
He just couldn’t reconcile what he knew in his heart of hearts with what seemed to be happening in his life and in society. It was extremely unsettling.
Looking back, he could see that it had been a perfect storm. His boss (who was the greatest and most honorable man he had ever met) had just been arrested, politically railroaded and illegally executed. Justice had failed. The politicians and the press had convinced the public to turn on the one man who could have truly helped them. To make matters worse, he felt partially responsible since there had been an occasion or two when he could have publicly testified on behalf of his boss. Then, in addition to all of that, he was immensely embarrassed of the fact that he - the guy who had boldly promised to stick with his boss no matter what - had freaked out and dropped out of public view when he should have stood up for what was right.
Who was this troubled man? His name was Peter. Jesus called him “the rock”. History would call him Saint Peter. He is a main character in the original Easter story. And, because the Bible is a straightforward record of what really happened, it allows us to see how all of Jesus’ followers struggled with their faith when life took a turn they didn’t expect. All but one of Jesus disciples forsook him and fled when he was crucified. Then they hid from authorities, trying to make sense of it all. For two days their world was devastated. Then came Easter, and their faith was restored. The events of one day confirmed everything they had believed.
Calvary is the climax of history’s greatest story and Easter is the resolution; it is an amazing victory that follows a horrible tragedy. Hindsight is 20/20 and Matthew would later remember that Jesus warned them that tragedy was coming. He records, “From that time Jesus began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” (Matthew 16:21)
Jesus promised He would be killed. He also promised that He would live again. The former was unthinkable, and the latter was such an unbelievable promise that when Jesus did come back from the dead, they still couldn’t believe it.
Those who have read the story may remember that, on Easter, a man she thought to be the gardener told Mary that Jesus had risen. Then Mary and a few other women told the disciples. Then the disciples told Thomas. A few months later Peter told the world. In each case, people were being asked, “Will you believe in resurrection? Do believe God can bring good out of bad?”
This Easter our world is rocking and reeling as we grapple with the coronavirus. Someone’s faith may be wavering. It may feel like the roof has fallen in. Hang on. God will show up when you least expect Him. Believers will go through dark times, like Calvary, but then comes Easter.
Friday, April 03, 2020
A Message of Faith in an Uncertain Time
On April 8,1630, four ships left the English Isle of Wight. On the ship named Arbella was a puritan lawyer by the name of John Winthrop, his two sons, and many other future colonial leaders. Their ships joined seven more ships in a convoy to the New World. He was leading a group of 700 migrants to the Massachusetts bay colony where he would serve as its the third governor for twelve years and its lieutenant governor for six years.
While many have attempted to rewrite history or question the motives of those who founded the colonies, it is wiser to read the works of those people and give them the benefit of the doubt. Certainly America’s founders had their faults, and not all of them were “good Christians,” but many of them were heroic in their efforts, and I consider myself a beneficiary of their faith.
Winthrop wrote a sermon entitled A Modell of Christian Charity, which was delivered either before or during the crossing. The sermon outlined ideas and plans for keeping the Puritan society strong in faith. In it he compared their journey to that of the Israelites leaving Egypt and he talked about the struggles that they would face in the New World. He also coined a now-famous nickname for America: "The City upon a Hill". Here is a snippet of that famous sermon.
“for we must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world, we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the way of God and all professors for God’s sake; we shall shame the faces of many of God’s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into Curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whether we are going:”
Winthrop’s sermon set the tone for the new colonies, which would be a beacon of freedom seen around the world for centuries to come. Much of what he cast vision for came to pass. Winthrop's son, John, later became one of the founders of the Connecticut Colony. Winthrop also wrote one of the best-known historical accounts of the founding of the colonies. His descendants include many famous Americans, and his writings continue to influence politicians to this day.
At the writing of his sermon John Winthrop could have considered himself to be just one struggling Christian, but he was all-in, and he made a huge difference in the lives of many Americans who would be born in subsequent generations. This gives us all hope! Maybe our faith will help make a way for those who follow. Who knows how consequential your life and my life can be if we pray sincere prayers and do our best to live lives pleasing to the one to whom we pray? One things is certain, if we are timid in our faith, no one will benefit. If we are bold and unashamed, we can be part of that “City on a Hill.”
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